At 12:01 pm on inauguration day, Army Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz will no longer be the D.C. National Guard commanding general. On inauguration day, 7,000 active-duty military personnel and 8,000 National Guard members will provide security. Guard members support the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Park Police. Schwartz was appointed … [Read more...] about Trump fires head of D.C. National Guard effective mid-day of inauguration
Poll: Trump gets historically low approval for his transition performance
Most Presidenst-elect generally win, try to unify the country, and try to create the image -- as hard as it sometimes is -- that they are embracing all Americans. President-elect Donald Trump is not only getting historically low poll ratings (for as long as they've done the poll) but he is losing independent voters in droves. Gallup reports: In Gallup polling conducted … [Read more...] about Poll: Trump gets historically low approval for his transition performance
Dear Democrats: Please Grow Up.
Dear Democrats: Your political party, as a whole, is acting juvenile right now. I am sure that there are still some adults among your members, but they are being overshadowed by the rest of your party. Indeed, some of the juvenile behavior is coming from Democratic Party leaders. From The Hill: "Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) announced from the House floor on Friday that he … [Read more...] about Dear Democrats: Please Grow Up.
Bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee will investigate possible Trump-Russia links
On a day when President-Elect Donald Trump did yet more tweets blasting stories about him and Russia and U.S. "intelligence" (he put the word in quotes go HERE then HERE), the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee announced it will hold hearings to investigate possible Trump-Russia links. Two other pieces fit into this context: 1)House Democrats were "outraged" after closed … [Read more...] about Bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee will investigate possible Trump-Russia links
Conservative Talker Quits After Trump Won
Sean Iling interviews conservative talk radio host John Ziegler who quit after Trump's win on vox.com. There are a lot of reasons why it (his radio show as an experiment in calling it straight to a conservative audience) failed, but the straw that broke the camel's back was the election of Donald Trump. The part of this equation your audience will be most interested in is … [Read more...] about Conservative Talker Quits After Trump Won
Remembering ‘Old Shaky,’ a ‘Doomed Tower at Sea’
A few days ago, I received a video from Rand Sinanian, a U.S. Air Force veteran now living in Connecticut. The video is a 90-minute documentary of a tragedy that occurred exactly 56 years ago this weekend, during a freezing-cold night and in a fierce winter storm in January 1961, 80 miles out into the North Atlantic. I watched the documentary with many deep emotions as … [Read more...] about Remembering ‘Old Shaky,’ a ‘Doomed Tower at Sea’
Some Justice for an “African Dachau?”
Some Justice for an “African Dachau?” By: David Anderson, J.D. There are countries most people have never even heard of and have little reason to know exist. But that doesn’t mean strange things don’t happen in them and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (E.G.) is one such place. About the size of Maryland, it fits into the “corner” of West-Central Africa near Nigeria. It … [Read more...] about Some Justice for an “African Dachau?”
A ‘good relationship’ with Russia shouldn’t be Trump’s priority
Donald Trump is right. (I've been waiting weeks for a chance to write that.) "Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing," the president-elect tweeted last weekend. "Only 'stupid' people, or fools, would think that it is bad!" That's true; no sensible person wants a state of hostility with a… … [Read more...] about A ‘good relationship’ with Russia shouldn’t be Trump’s priority
Cartoons: The devil wears Pravda
This cartoon by Clay Jones is from his website www.claytoonz.com … [Read more...] about Cartoons: The devil wears Pravda
Tillerson’s foreign policy: Russia first
WASHINGTON -- In New York on Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump dismissed as "crap" the intelligence reports suggesting Russia has compromising information on him. Trump knows this because, as he tweeted, Russia called it "A COMPLETE AND TOTAL FABRICATION." And if Vladimir Putin's government says something, it must be true. But whether or not Russia has … [Read more...] about Tillerson’s foreign policy: Russia first
Americans want to see Trump’s tax returns
In his first press conference since last summer, president-elect Donald Trump said he would not release his tax returns and that Americans weren't interested anyway. TRUMP: I’m not releasing the tax returns because as you know, they’re under audit....You know, the only one that cares about my tax returns are the reporters, OK? They’re the only who ask. This is certainly not … [Read more...] about Americans want to see Trump’s tax returns
NYPD Detective Steven McDonald America’s Cop
Detective Steven McDonald, his wife Patricia and son Conor were always a threesome Photo via patch.com This week, New York City lost an icon. He wasn’t as universally notorious as Wall Street or Fifth Avenue nor even the Carnegie Deli, which also shut its doors but to longtime New Yorkers, his name was as recognizable as any landmark. His depth was not the Empire State … [Read more...] about NYPD Detective Steven McDonald America’s Cop
“Hidden Figures” (Movie Review)
By Bob Garver A lot of people were unhappy with my review of "Sing" a few weeks ago. Many wondered how I could have so much disdain for a movie with positive messages about perseverance and following your dreams. There are two main reasons: 1) That movie is considerably less positive with its messages about stealing… … [Read more...] about “Hidden Figures” (Movie Review)
Cartoon: Balance
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Balance
Media Ethicist: Buzzfeed Memo a Mistake
Sean Iling interviews mdeia ethicist Kelly McBride on whether Buzzfeed should have published the Trump/Russia memo on vox.com. I think the real problem is the impact this has had on the conversation. Before BuzzFeed published the dossier, the conversation that we were having, and CNN was leading on the reporting, was that four senior intelligence officers or officials were … [Read more...] about Media Ethicist: Buzzfeed Memo a Mistake
This bumblebee is the first to become endangered—but it won’t be the last
The rusty patched bumblebee joins the red list USGS The rusty patched bumblebee is the first bee species in the Lower 48 to join the endangered list. Just a few decades ago, the rusty patched bumblebee pollinated crops and wildflowers in 28 states. Now, as of Tuesday, it lives on the endangered species list. A statement… … [Read more...] about This bumblebee is the first to become endangered—but it won’t be the last
Draining the Swamp
When Donald Trump promised to drain the swamp, what exactly did he mean? Did he himself know? The inference was that he wanted to rid Washington of all its insiders that were ruining the country, particularly the ensconced politicians and the lobbyists. But he also railed against Wall Street and the moneyed elite. These were in cahoots with Washington to produce legislation … [Read more...] about Draining the Swamp
Assessing President Obama’s Legacy: ‘For Eight Years He Walked On Ice And Never Fell’
There has been much gum flapping over whether President Barack Hussein Obama's legacy will be undermined by his successor, for whom Pretend Time will soon come to a crashing end with his inauguration. There indeed have been occasions over the last eight years when the hope-and-change mantra that propelled Obama to the presidency has seemed like a fiction, and the election of … [Read more...] about Assessing President Obama’s Legacy: ‘For Eight Years He Walked On Ice And Never Fell’
Benny King and the criminalization of addiction in America
Benny King is a gregarious, good-hearted, God-fearing 53-year-old black man from Alabama who shouldn’t be in prison. But he is. Mr. King is serving 14-months at the federal correctional institution in Jesup, Georgia, for violating conditions of his supervised release; conditions ordered as part of King’s sentence over eleven years ago, in 2005, for bank fraud. Mr. … [Read more...] about Benny King and the criminalization of addiction in America
Cartoon: Trump’s Fireside Tweets
Mike Slosberg is a cartoonist and novelist. He lives with his wife and hundreds of drawing pens on the Upper Westside of Manhattan, New York. You can see more of his cartoons and learn about his books by going to: mikeslosbergbooks.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Trump’s Fireside Tweets